Robotics.Scaled

Vanessa Warncke

After spending more than a decade helping robotics, drone, autonomous systems, and deep tech companies bring innovative technologies to market, Vanessa Warncke became fascinated by one question: What separates the companies that scale from those that don't? That question became the foundation of ROBOTICS.SCALED. Each episode features honest conversations with founders, operators, researchers, and investors who are building the future of robotics. Together, they unpack what it really takes to turn breakthrough technology into successful businesses—from finding product-market fit and landing early customers to fundraising, commercialization, go-to-market strategy, and scaling globally. Whether you're building a robotics startup, working in AI or automation, investing in deep tech, or simply curious about where robotics is headed, you'll find practical insights and real stories from the people shaping the industry.

Episodios

  1. 11 sep

    The Hidden Cost of Scaling a Robotics Company

    What does it really take to go from deploying a few robots to thousands of robots at scale? In this episode of Robotics.Scaled, Vanessa sits down with a former GM EMEA at Tennant to break down the commercial and operational decisions that separate promising robotics companies from those that actually become global robotics leaders. The conversation goes beyond hardware and impressive demos. They explore what happens when a robotics company moves from pilots and early customers into large-scale deployments—where customer success, training, service infrastructure, site readiness, reliability, partner strategy, and profitability suddenly become just as important as the robot itself. One of the biggest lessons: selling the first robot is not the real sale. The real challenge is making the robot so reliable and valuable that customers want 10, 100, or even 1,000 more. They discuss how robotics startups should build repeatable deployment systems, standardize customer onboarding, manage expectations, create strong customer success teams, choose the right partners, avoid over-customization, and identify the use cases that can genuinely scale. The episode also explores why many robotics businesses struggle with profitability even after successfully selling robots—and why service costs, software issues, operator training, and poor deployment processes can quietly destroy margins. Timestamps 00:00 - 01:03 | Trailer on Scaling Robotics Beyond Pilots 01:03 - 02:10 | Podcast Introduction and Guest Background 02:10 - 03:56 | Designing Robots for Global Deployment 03:56 - 06:25 | Stakeholders, Expectations, and Site Readiness 06:25 - 08:30 | Building a Repeatable Deployment Model 08:30 - 10:15 | Standardization, Data, and Robot Monitoring 10:15 - 13:01 | Selling Peace of Mind, Not Just Robots 13:01 - 15:35 | Business Case, Hidden Costs, and Labor Challenges 15:35 - 18:53 | Customer Success, Training, and Change Management 18:53 - 25:36 | Partner Strategy and Ideal Partner Profile 25:36 - 28:30 | Profitability, Service Burden, and Partner Dependency 28:30 - 31:02 | Scalable Use Cases and Strategic Focus 31:02 - 33:10 | Software Ownership, Outsourcing, and Lock-In Risks 33:10 - 36:59 | Business Model, Deployment Ownership, and Fleet Insights 36:59 - 38:11 | Scaling from Hundreds to Thousands of Robots 38:11 - 40:11 | AI Readiness, Mind Marks, and Closing Thoughts 40:11 - 40:14 | Outro Animation / Podcast End If you're building, operating, investing in, or selling robotics, this episode offers a practical look at robotics commercialization, go-to-market strategy, deployment, customer success, scaling, and profitability. Subscribe to Robotics.Scaled for honest conversations with founders, operators, and investors building the next generation of robotics companies. Watch the latest episode here - https://youtu.be/7-NHsgNT8L8 #Robotics #RoboticsStartup #RoboticsScaling #PhysicalAI #Automation #RoboticsBusiness #IndustrialRobotics #RoboticsDeployment #RoboticsCommercialization #DeepTech #RoboticsPodcast

  2. 25 ago

    What Stops Robotics Pilots From Becoming Real Deployments

    In this episode of Robotics.Scaled, Vanessa sits down with Kateryna Portmann from ANYbotics to unpack one of the biggest challenges in robotics commercialization: moving from a successful pilot to a real deployment that creates measurable business value. The surprising part? In many cases, the technology is not the main problem. Kateryna explains why robotics pilots often fail because companies are not truly ready for deployment. Missing stakeholder alignment, unclear ROI, weak training, legacy systems, poor workflow integration, and a lack of executive buy-in can leave even strong robotics technology stuck in pilot purgatory. They break down what robotics companies and buyers need to get right before deployment, from identifying the real decision makers and defining clear success metrics to integrating robots with existing ERP systems, APIs, fleet management platforms, and other automation technologies. The conversation also explores how companies can scale beyond a single robot, improve frontline adoption, create trust with workers, plan for predictive maintenance, navigate compliance, and prepare for a future where robots and physical AI become part of everyday workplaces. If you're building, buying, investing in, or deploying robotics, this episode offers a practical look at what actually separates a robotics pilot from a scalable robotics business. In this episode: Why robotics pilots fail even when the technology works How to escape pilot purgatory Technical vs. organizational readiness Why executive buy-in matters How to define robotics pilot KPIs and success metrics Integrating robots with legacy systems, ERP, APIs, and fleet management How to identify the real robotics buying center Robot adoption among frontline workers Predictive maintenance and long-term deployment value Scaling from one robot to hundreds or thousands Safety, compliance, and engineering responsibility The future of robotics, AI, and physical AI Timestamps 00:00 - Trailer on Robotics Pilots and Readiness 00:56 - Introduction Kateryna Portmann 01:55 - Why Robotics Pilots Fail Beyond Technology 04:14 - Technical Readiness, Training, and Workflow Integration 07:19 - Decision Makers, Stakeholders, and Scaling Beyond Pilots 11:03 - Legacy Systems, APIs, and Multi-Robot Integration 14:05 - Successful Pilot Scaling and Clear Success Metrics 18:56 - Buying Center, Value Drivers, and Predictive Maintenance 24:13 - User Experience, Frontline Workers, and Robot Adoption 28:22 - Cultural Readiness, Safety, and Robot Awareness 31:00 - Scaling Robotics Production and Market Consolidation 34:30 - Compliance, Regulation, and Engineering Responsibility 37:05 - Future of Robotics, Coexistence, and Closing Thoughts 39:38 - End Robotics.Scaled brings honest conversations with founders, operators, product leaders, and investors about what it really takes to commercialize robotics, find product-market fit, scale deployments, and build global robotics companies. Check out our location partner DARE Campus: https://darecampus.ch/ and join the DARE Campus Robot Showcase & Community Night - https://luma.com/DAREcampusRobotShowcase?tk=2rch5l Check out Kateryna's initiative RobotReady - https://robot-ready.co/en/ Check our the episode here - https://youtu.be/39gWdflyadk Subscribe for more conversations on robotics startups, physical AI, automation, robotics commercialization, product-market fit and go-to-market strategy.

  3. 14 ago

    3 Things Every Robotics Startup Needs for Product-Market Fit

    In this episode of Robotics.Scaled, Vanessa sits down with Alessandro Mora, Co-Founder & CEO of Ascento, to unpack the journey from an ETH robotics prototype to a growing security robotics company operating across international markets. The conversation goes far beyond the robot itself. Alessandro shares how Ascento found its first real use case in outdoor security, identified the right ideal customer profile (ICP), validated product-market fit, and learned to avoid getting trapped in endless pilot projects. They also explore why some customers are worth pursuing while others aren't, how to define success before launching a pilot, when to say no to customer requests, and why staying focused can be one of the hardest parts of scaling a robotics startup. The episode also dives into product market fit, robotics business models, international expansion, direct sales vs. partnerships, physical AI, robotics funding, customer adoption, and what founders need to understand before trying to scale globally. If you're building a robotics startup, drone company, deep tech business, or autonomous systems company, this episode offers practical lessons on commercialization, go-to-market strategy, customer validation, and scaling robotics beyond impressive demos. What you'll learn: How to find the right use case for a robotics startup How Ascento identified security as its target market What makes a strong robotics ICP How to avoid pilot purgatory How to evaluate customer urgency and willingness to pay Why founders need to stay focused as customers request new features How to build a Robot-as-a-Service business model When a robotics startup is ready to expand internationally Direct sales vs. partnerships in robotics How physical AI is changing the robotics market Why customer adoption could be the biggest unlock for robotics Timestamps 00:00 - Trailer: Robotics ICP & Customer Adoption 00:56 - Podcast Introduction & Ascento Overview 01:33 - From ETH Prototype to Security Robotics 03:49 - First Traction & Early Market Validation 05:44 - Macro Trends Driving Security Robotics 07:19 - Defining the Ideal Customer Profile 11:36 - How to Evaluate Customer Fit 14:26 - Staying Focused & Avoiding Scope Creep 17:40 - Feature Prioritization & Long-Term Vision 20:29 - The Mission: Outdoor Security Robotics 21:27 - Building a Robot-as-a-Service Business 24:40 - Taking a Robotics Company International 28:31 - Robotics Funding & Physical AI 31:06 - Building the Team & Evolving as a Founder 32:14 - Advice for Robotics Founders 33:49 - The Future of Customer Adoption in Robotics Robotics.Scaled brings honest conversations with the founders, operators, researchers, and investors building and commercializing the next generation of robotics. Follow and subscribe for more conversations about robotics startups, AI, physical AI, product-market fit, go-to-market strategy, automation, deep tech, robotics commercialization, and scaling globally. YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@RoboticsScaled

  4. 27 jul

    How to Find the Right Market for Your Robotics Startup

    In this episode of Robotics.Scaled, Vanessa Warncke sits down with Prof. Dr. Yulia Sandamirskaya, Professor at ZHAW and Co-Founder of YuRo, to explore the realities of commercializing cutting-edge robotics technology. From years of AI, neuroscience, and robotics research to launching a robotics startup, Yulia shares how founders can bridge the gap between breakthrough innovation and real-world adoption. They dive into why healthcare became YuRo's first market, how robotics companies should approach go-to-market strategy, why software may be a smarter bet than building hardware, and what it really takes to achieve product-market fit in robotics. The conversation also covers fundraising, customer validation, early pilots, scaling challenges, robotics business models, and why founders should start with the market, not the technology. Whether you're building a robotics startup, investing in robotics, working in AI, automation, healthcare technology, or simply interested in the future of intelligent machines, this episode is packed with practical insights from someone building at the frontier. If you're interested in robotics, AI, autonomous systems, healthcare automation, robotics startups, venture capital, deep tech, or commercializing breakthrough technologies, subscribe to Robotics.Scaled for conversations with the founders, investors, and operators shaping the future of robotics.

  • 4 episodios

Acerca de

After spending more than a decade helping robotics, drone, autonomous systems, and deep tech companies bring innovative technologies to market, Vanessa Warncke became fascinated by one question: What separates the companies that scale from those that don't? That question became the foundation of ROBOTICS.SCALED. Each episode features honest conversations with founders, operators, researchers, and investors who are building the future of robotics. Together, they unpack what it really takes to turn breakthrough technology into successful businesses—from finding product-market fit and landing early customers to fundraising, commercialization, go-to-market strategy, and scaling globally. Whether you're building a robotics startup, working in AI or automation, investing in deep tech, or simply curious about where robotics is headed, you'll find practical insights and real stories from the people shaping the industry.

Información

  • Creador
    Vanessa Warncke
  • Años de actividad
    2026
  • Episodios
    4
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Vanessa Warncke